With 802.11n networking increasingly taking over key functions in the enterprise, Meru Networks has introduced a program to assure IT managers that their business-critical applications on WLANs will be secure.

Announced Thursday, Meru's Wireless Service Assurance program provides three service level benchmarks to deliver end-to-end predictability of their wireless networks.

Meru said the new assurance plan will provide 99.99% WLAN availability with less than one hour of unplanned downtime a year. The program also promises to reduce complexity by cutting 11a/b/g/n access point usage by 30%. In addition, the assurance plan also promises to provide voice services with quality equivalent to land-line service.

"We created the Meru solutions from the ground up with the understanding that 802.11n-based WLANS were much more than a convenient connectivity option for cube hopping or conference room collaboration," said Vaduvar Bharghavan, Meru's founder and chief technology officer. He added that the assurance plan will help create a "single mode of connectivity to enable new, innovative applications."

Noting that wireless applications in enterprises are increasingly moving from networks of convenience to mission critical applications, Bharghavan pointed to new wireless solutions for Electronic Health Records, classroom learning, and point-of-sale uses as examples of the new demands of WLANs.

Meru said the assurance program is aimed at providing benefits similar to wired networks through its virtualized WLAN architecture, its Air traffic Control technology, and its Service Assurance Manager software. The firm said its programs have been "battle-tested" on many of its more than 2,700-customer deployments.

Meru's Wireless Service Assurance program will be available February 1.

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